Great Phone As A First

Pros:Sleek designNice screenEasy-to-use keyboardWonderful applicationsClear volumeGreat cameraDurability- i dropped my phone into the toilet & it was completely submerged in water. I swabbed all the water from the battery & SIM card & keyboard. There was still some water left in various places, so I charged my phone to have the water evaporate. It was back alive! I must say, for most electronics that fall into the toilet, the majority die out in a few minutes. Oh & i dropped my phone almost half as much times i held my phone. So it's made of some tough stuff.

Cons:Alarm's volume is a bit low. I maxed out my volume to a 5 to test out the alarm. On the first second, the volume reflected the 5, but i went straight down to a 2-3, barely able to hear anything. This wasn't because of the toilet incident because it happened before it.I couldn't use an MP3 as a ringtone- it only allowed MMF. But i could use MP3s as alarm ringtones.Battery life is short (in my opinion). It would die after 1.5 days, so i suggest charging every night or so.I was in love with the screen, so i would touch it- A LOT. Because of this, the screen is scratched up & a bit foggy, like i scratched the top layer off. I suggest getting a protection tape for your screen to prevent this.The vibration is a bit loud- sometimes.Didn't provide a USB cable to upload my photos. So i bought one off eBay, & it didn't even work. Just send photos to your album where you can obtain those photos online. But texting fees apply; trust me- i made my mom pay over $30 just for those pictures.

The pros&cons are evened out, but that's because i've had this for 2+ years. So that whole "new phone illusion", where you think your phone is perfect, is gone & you get to see the flaws as it ages.

Overall, i love this phone, mainly because it was my first. But i guess this is considered a simple phone with little luxeries.

Better than the RAZR

I am a long time T-mobile customer and i also work in for another wireless provider.

I had 9 (!!!) replacements for my previous RAZR, this seemed like a good decision. I am very satisfied.

The menus and functions are very fast, no lag. The camera is very nice, compared to every other mid-level phone. The customization of your photos and videos is an added bonus. The EDGE technology is wonderful, especially when viewing web pages or downloading games or ringtones.

Ultra-slim non-phone

awesome phone

ive had this phone for over a month now and i am in love with it. i get compliments on it all the time, not many people have seen a phone this light and skinny. the only con i really have on this phone, is its inability to designate message ringtones for different callers... ive had this function on nearly every other phone i have owned and am a little dissappointed i didnt get it with this phone. the screen quality on it is excellent, as well as the sound quality on calls and during phone conversations.

The Good, Bad, And Ugly

THE GOOD:The SGH-t509 is exceptionally thin. In fact, it's the slimmest handset currently sold by a U.S. carrier. I should point out, however, that Samsung currently makes two thinner models (the SGH-x820 and SGH-p300) that can be bought for about $400 unlocked--I got this phone for $30. Unlike many others, I get great call clarity with the t509 (I guess I'm just lucky). The screen is great as well, highlighting the beautiful and intuitive Samsung UI. The keys have tactile response and are logically positioned. Also, the phone has a very reasonable battery life and comes with three full games and one demo to fill time.

THE BAD:Many have pointed out that the phone lacks good ringtone/wallpaper choices. I think this may be because over half of these choices are hidden in the "My Downloads" section, not in the phone's default choices. Additionally, because the handset's speaker is facing bacward, it can be hard to hear it ring when it's on a table. Also, the speakerphone could be louder, and the addition of an MP3 player would be nice. Finally, the camera is just VGA and the menu layout and shortcuts aren't customizable.

THE UGLY:My biggest complaint about the SGH-t509 is its directional pad. The up button sticks halfway down after being pressed, making the down button click twice when pressed subsequently. Two successive phones have had this problem, but it's beginning to happen less often as the phone is getting broken in (knock on wood). Also, the phone is made of plastic, not metal, so it feels too light and fragile. Additionally, the "Clear" button should have been made bigger (the "Talk" and "End" keys are almost three times as big) because the Samsung UI relies havily on it.

CONCLUSION:If you're looking for a cheap, fashionable phone with good performance, look no further. However, if you want more features (or an even thinner profile), there are better options with bigger pricetags.

Pretty Good Phone

I just bought my wife the T509. It is an excellent phone however it doesn't poses the ability to assign mp3's as ringtones. I tried everything I could think of and nothing worked. The only format it recognizes is ".mmf"; in this case you will need an external program to covert the mp3 to mmf. Once converted the sound quality is horrible and very low. Other than that, the phone is outstanding. The graphics are superior to most, even the V3, and it is full of features. The other thing is that with most phones you can pick up a data cable at Wal-Mart or borrow one from a friend. Not with the T509. You will have to purchase one specifically for this phone...or you can do what I did and buy a bluetooth usb adapter from Wal-Mart and sync'd the phone to the PC that way.

PEOPLE ARE WRONG THIS PHONE ROCKS

I just got this phone and i am really suprised the revies had me questioning whether to buy it but i took a chance knowing i could just return it. so i got it and wow its so small but its not difficult to hold while calling. the ringers are loud, some say they arent but trust me they are i had two fans going on and i could hear it loud and clear. u can customize eveything which is something that i love. the preset ringtones are ok not the best but i dowloaded some. the screen is amazing compared to my nokia 3220. the camera was great i dont no what people were saying when they said it sucked it doesnt, and u can so many different effects which is sweet.overall i am VERRY VERRY pleased and dont regret getting itPROSCustomazationloud ringtoneseaasy layoutthinlight weightCAMERA IS GREATLOTS of camera effectsBEAUTIFUL SCREENkeypad is easy to use and is big enough

Cons Speaker phone could be loudermaybe a better choice of ringtones/wallpapeR

Nice phone for the price.

I recently updated my phone and service, having previously been with Sprint. I settled on T-Mobile and a Samsung t509. I was cautious at first, due to the amount of criticism this phone had generated online. When it came down to purchase time I decided that this phone had everything I needed and the price was right ($50 with a 2 year contract). So far the phone exceeds my expectations in most respects.

RECEPTIONSo far, much better than my previous phone and service. For once I can get a signal at my office.

BLUETOOTHI work in a 100% Maccentric environment. iSync DOES NOT support Samsung phones at present, so that is a check against this phone. On the other hand, I can still use most of the bluetooth capabilities. I can easily sync to my computer using bluetooth prefs and transfer over custom ringtones (in 3gp format). Using Onsync, a shareware app, I can transfer over address book contacts. The only thing I have not figured out at present is how to transfer my photos to my Mac.

CAMERAVGA, obviously not all that great, but if you're at a bar or out with friends, it gets the job done. If you want a good camera then buy a camera.

SOUNDI don't use speakerphone, so I won't comment on that. Overall, this phone is a bit quiet when it comes to the ringtones, but not so much so that it's a deal breaker for me. Call quality is great, I never have a problem hearing people unless I'm surrounded by loud noises, like at a busy bar.

MESSAGINGThis phone has nice IM functions, I've had no problems logging onto AIM at all. The Text Messaging function (as opposed to IM) is a bit cumbersome due to the extra menus involved, but there may be a way around this. Responding to received texts is super simple though, no extra menu navigating there.

All in all, I'm super happy with this phone despite a few minor flaws.